Buying Tips

Buying a new home is great fun but can also be quite challenging if you're not sure which step you need to take first.

1. Finding the right property for you...

• Countryside, village, town, or city? - decide before you start to look.  
• Check out the schools,  public transport  and local amenities.
• How big a garden do you need/want?
• Do you have the time and energy to restore or modernise?
• Have a walk around the surrounding area to see what it's like.
• Visit it at different times of day.

2. Some extra help

• Now you know what to look for, wouldn't it be great if you knew how much you could borrow before you spot your dream home?
• If you aren’t sure what type of mortgage to go for, use our handy Mortgage Finder to find out.
• Our home mover mortgages may be of interest to you.
• View some other things you may also need to consider as part of your house move.

Ok, so you've found the perfect house, you've got your online mortgage decision, what next?

3. Making your offer

• Decide what you're prepared to pay for the property, but be prepared to negotiate.

• Once your offer has been accepted, a written confirmation will be sent to you and then you can arrange a survey of the property.

4. Exchanging contracts

• A contract will be drafted for you and the seller to sign by your solicitor - once this is signed it'll be legally binding so make sure you understand and are happy with all it's content.
• Once both parties have signed the contracts, they'll be exchanged and that's when you become legally committed to the sale.

5. Completing and Moving in

• use iammoving.com (in association with Royal Mail - opens in a new window) It's an easy to use service that's aimed to help your move be a little less stressful, and best of all, it's free!

• If you haven't already, now it's time to box up all your belongings, putting which room they will belong to in your new home.
• Once your solicitor has transferred the money to the seller's solicitor, you can collect the keys from your Estate Agent.
• Make sure the kettle is easy to get to as it'll be the first thing you need by the time you get to your new home!